Day 170 in 2021

Day 234 in 2020

This is what social distancing, mask-wearing, Homeschool Friday gatherings look like (the two pairs of girls standing closest together are sisters). I am thankful for our homeschool community taking this seriously and respecting safety boundaries to such a degree that we feel safe gathering with them...from a distance of six feet or more, that is.

Day 91 in 2020 (day 17 in isolation, adjusted)

Running outside today I passed many, many window hot spots. Maybe you've seen this game mentioned in the news or on social media, but residents were encouraged to put specific items in front windows to give kids something to look for on walks, and to create a feeling of togetherness; in some places it was bears, in others flowers, and in still others, like ours, organizers, expecting a high level of involvement, made different goals for every day of the week. I think yesterday was bears and today was flowers, or maybe people are hoping the bears from some houses will enjoy the sight of the flowers in others, I don't know. In any case, it was quite the running scavenger hunt. 

We had our own moment of broader togetherness tonight, joining in a Zoom chat with about twelve other households, most of whom we did not know, in order to wish our now eight-year-old neighbor happy birthday. In years past we have gathered in the yard to share cake and watch the kids run around after while we drank wine. Tonight we dragged our happy birthday sign out of our party storage box and decorated the area once known as our library, now used more regularly as our video chat stage for the occasion on separate sides of the lawn, their extended family joining in as well from all areas of the state. 

The news came today that they will likely cancel the remainder of our school year, or declare it ended, at least. Though this won't have much of an effect on Calvin's education record, it is a blow socially. I know he will miss his two teachers (art and band), and I feel a real loss when I think that we will never experience the rising up ceremonies or final concerts and events of middle school. During these years, when life moves at such a breakneck pace, the loss of even a few months is an eternity.

So many things are different, so many things are the same. 

Day 72 in 2020

How quickly things change. Last night when I returned from my shopping trip there was a message waiting from our schools telling us to be prepared for an important announcement the following morning. This morning we received the message that all extra-curricular activities had been cancelled for at least the next three weeks. This was disappointing to Calvin, who was looking forward to an upcoming band concert, but in the same message they assured us that school would remain open for the time-being as remote school was too challenging an option for our rural areas. 

This evening, not twelve hours later, we received the message that school would be entirely closed for the next three weeks. On the heals of that message Calvin's other events cancelled one by one, first his dance competition, then his choir concerts, then choir itself, then dance itself. It is a sobering moment when you realize that the situation is making history, that you are part of making that history whether you want to be or not. 

There are bright spots in the storm. Not an hour after the school closing message came in, as we were all feeling shaken and unsteady, the neighbors texted to invite us over for drinks, dinner, and shennanigans. We are so very fortunate to live where we do, amongst the people that we do, and spending the evening with this cohort set us a little more at ease, even if it's the last time we are able to congregate, as I fear it will be for some time. Still, we are all in it together.

Day 292 in 2019